The largest car recall in China’s history: 4.3 million vehicles recalled due to door safety hazards

(Central News Agency, Beijing, comprehensive foreign news report on the 21st) Tesla and eight other automakers said on the 20th that they would recall a total of about 4.3 million vehicles in China due to concerns that the doors may be difficult to open in an emergency, setting a record for the largest car recall in Chinese history.

Reuters reported that the recall's remedies include software updates, warning labels and improved markings around door handles.

Beijing has tightened oversight of the electric vehicle industry this year and imposed stricter safety requirements as automakers engage in fierce price wars and roll out technologies in the world's largest auto market.

China has also announced that it will completely ban hidden door handles from 2027, becoming the first country in the world to gradually phase out this design popularized by Tesla and widely adopted by local electric vehicle manufacturers in China.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Geely Automobile and Xpeng Motors declined to comment. Xiaomi said it had no additional information other than the regulatory announcement.

Leapmotor says it is always committed to safety. The company pointed out that this upgrade only involves warning labels and upgraded power window control software, but "out of a sense of responsibility to users, it is being managed and filed in accordance with the recall procedures."

Most of these actions, which are classified as product recalls under Chinese regulations, focus on emergency mechanical door unlock handles. Regulators said the handles could be difficult to find or operate in the event of a crash, a flaw that has drawn heightened attention after several incidents in which passengers were trapped in burning vehicles.

Chinese state media reported in October last year that a Xiaomi SU7 sedan was involved in a car accident and caught fire. Passers-by were unable to open the door to rescue the driver, resulting in the driver's death.

The sheer scale of the recall reflects both the sheer number of cars in China and the growing scrutiny by regulators of safety flaws as cars increasingly shift to software-driven vehicles.

Automakers including Tesla and Xiaomi will install warning labels for free to identify handle positions, and most automakers will also launch OTA remote software updates.

Tesla's recall is the largest and reflects how many vehicles the company has sold with these handles.